Believing in vain means a person claimed to believe, expecting to walk their own idea of Christianity in their own flesh without the help of Christ, while claiming to be a Christian. These people are invested in appearing to be something they are not to be accepted by the club they wish to join, that is the Christian church. Judas was one of these, knowing Christ but not being known by Christ.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
The mindset of those who believed in vain, (vanity) is that they will join the Christian club and be accepted for merely showing up, even though there has been no change in their heart and no desire to repent or know the heart of God.
Christ will not change the heart of someone who pretends to love Him while defying His commands and principles.
The biggest clue as to whether or not someone has been changed into a new creation by Christ is their completely changed way of thinking.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come."
Those who have been changed by the fruit of the Spirit of Christ, will be evident to those who possess the Holy Spirit in their bodies..
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law."
Matthew 7:16-18 "…16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit."
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection
15 Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, 2 by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"
May we love others too much to withhold correction and warning from those who may not be born again but believe they are going to heaven.
Withholding correction and warning is to care more about being liked by them than it is about their well-being.
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